EA: Gamechangers Wrap-Up

I wasn’t sure if the EA press conference would start with Battlefield 3 or Mass Effect 3, but whichever one you chose, I knew they would end with the other.

Mass Effect 3

It was Mass Effect 3, right out of the gate. We saw a short teaser of the reapers attacking earth. And there was much applause. Casey Hudson, Executive Producer of Mass Effect 3, came out and gave us a date for the game’s release: March 2, 2012. Man, that’s so far away! But the last game in the trilogy takes us to the war that we’ve been anticipating since the first game. There was a live demo and the claim that this will be “the best game in the series.” It seems much more action-packed than the previous games, and I hope that this doesn’t mean that the RPG elements are lessened, as that’s what makes the Mass Effect games so good. But Hudson promised much emotional impact, so I’ll keep my faith in Bioware. They have not let me down yet.

Origin.com

﻿There has been much talk about Origin.com, EA’s answer to Steam. And it was plugged after every single game presentation at the press conference.

Need for Speed: The Run

I am not big on racing games, but this one intrigues me. After watching the demo, I might have to give it a go. It’s probably not a title I’ll buy, but I’ll certain rent it out. It’s using the new Frostbite 2 engine (and this engine provides some beautiful gameplay), too. It just looks intense!

Sims Social

Our lives are over. This will be the biggest thing to come out of the EA conference. Sims is coming to Facebook. No one will ever do anything productive ever again.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

This game was introduced by famed Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling. Yes, I know who that is. I do love the Red Sox, even if I’m not into sports. It comes from having lived in Boston once. But he wasn’t introducing a sports game (and yes, I’ve skipped over the sports games here, like FIFA 12 because I just don’t like them). He was showing off this gorgeous fantasy game by his studio (38 Studios) that was written by none other than R.A. Salvatore. Featuring folks who also worked on titles like Oblivion and Morrowind. This game looks epic.

Overstrike

This is another title I’m extremely interested in. We knew Insomniac was going to show us a new game and I have to say they did not disappoint. Overstrike looks like a fun action game with humor and great characters. This was the first trailer I’ve seen all E3 that actually made me smile and giggle.

Battlefield 3

Okay, again, not my favorite kind of game. But you cannot help but to marvel at its beauty. Built on that new Frostbite 2 engine, the actual gameplay footage looks better than the cut scenes. I am highly impressed.